24/02/2014 Look East - West

Hello and welcome to Look East as we begin a week's worth of programmes

looking at the impact World War One had in this region. And we're

starting in the trenches. This is a film set on the outskirts of

Ipswich. And these trenches have been used in countless dramas `

everything from The Last Tommy to Downton Abbey. Our theme

Tonight, our themed is the war at home. We will be looki I talkin

Tonight, our themed is the war at talking to a modern`day soldier All

of that later in the programme but first a round`up of the news from

your part of the region. Thousands of jobs promised to

Peterborough has a ?130 million business plan gets the go`ahead

Fighting to save jobs in Corby, 900 at risk at Solway Foods, with cuts

described as inevitable. And rail passengers give their verdict on the

new trains heading their way. Hello. First to Peterborough, and a

plan to bring ?130 million worth of business investment to the city It

comes with the promise of hundreds of jobs and growth. Peterborough

already has one of the fastest growing private sectors in country

with almost 4,000 jobs created in one year thanks to new business

Just today a new distribution park opened which could lead to a further

8,000 jobs. Mike Cartwright reports. Finished and ready for the first

company to move on. A parcel delivery business. When its conveyor

belt is up and running, more than 50 people will work here stop it is a

hotspot. We run a model that tells us where growth will be. It is

double`digit growth as a company. Peterborough is a hotspot that we

recognise. That is why we have decided to invest here. This is the

first warehouse on a 240 acre distribution park. Peterborough is

home to one of the fastest`growing private sectors in the country, a

city soon to see more private investment. ?130 million worth.

Money held in an account overseas, opened by the council. They are a

mix of investors, sovereign funds and high wealth individuals. And

will be pension funds. It is a different way of doing things. In

reality, the council historically relied on government funding to

unlock development and that is no longer there so we have to work in a

different way. Money from the overseas fund will be used to buy

council property dotted around the city. On it will be built houses and

businesses which the council say will generate wealth. But some are

concerned about who may invest in the city. It is about being able to

see where the investment is coming from the gods as a local authority,

we must bear in mind that we need to be principled and we need to have

ethics. We need to make sure that we get money from sources that are

sound. They say that Peterborough is open for business. A city attracting

big investment from home and abroad. And with that, the promise of many

many more jobs. Meanwhile in Corby, 900 jobs are at

risk at Solway Foods with losses now described as 'inevitable'. The

company is one of the town's biggest employers, with a large factory

making salad products for supermarkets. A few weeks ago it

announced it was considering closing the site because it would be too

expensive to update it. Plans to sell it are also being considered. A

task force to save jobs has been set up and earlier I spoke to the

chairman and asked if all 900 jobs can be saved.

New trains for the region's busiest commuter routes have been unveiled

to passengers. I do not believe that they can be

saved. Because the company are losing money and they are having a

lot of difficulties. In the thing that would love to see is Solway

running a different premises, for more efficiently, and making profits

so that they are therefore they are there for the long term. How many

jobs that involves, I do not know. Certainly a substantial number. What

are the financial incentives that the task force is giving to Solway

two we hope that by the end of the week we will have had a chance to

see the options that they are considering. And we will have had a

chance to see what we can possibly offer, so that by next week, we can

be talking to them again. As you say, even if Solway are persuaded to

stay, some jobs are going to go How much of a blow will that be for a

town like Corby? It is enormous It is easy to be clever about it but

for anyone, if they lose their job, it is a major thing. Sadly, there is

no way of avoiding job losses. I don't Excel and should not be

pre`empting. I'd think it would be unfair to say that there was. `` I

don't think so. New trains for the region's busiest commuter routes

have been unveiled today. The promise less crowding, faster

journey times and more destinations. But we will have to wait a few years

until they are in service. Travelling by train can be a tight

squeeze. There are more passengers than ever before. But help could be

at hand. In Cambridge, they recently had a revamp to accommodate trains

with 12 carriages. And in three years time, the majority of fast and

semi`fast services to King's Cross will be made up of a dozen

carriages. And that is not all. More than 100 of these new electric

trains are being built, with more space, Clomid control, digital

displays and baby changing areas. There is more space at floor level.

2017, they are coming in. A bit of a wait. But it is worth waiting for,

it looks like. What is the timetable? The new trains will run

on the Bedford to Brighton line in 2016. The following year, they will

be on the Peterborough to King's Cross route and in 2018, we will see

direct services across London. That means you could travel straight

through with your luggage to Heathrow, and perhaps even Gatwick.

It will do an enormous amount to decrease overcrowding. The programme

is geared up to address the levels of crowding on the route. That

capacity is much needed. But if you are heading to King's Cross, the new

trains will run alongside the existing stock, so you are not

guaranteed to catch one. Major roadworks are due to start as

part of a ?30 million scheme. The roundabout at junction ten is being

replaced by a three lane carriageway, linking the motorway to

the airport. It means the junction will be closed overnight for several

nights from March fourth. But lane restrictions will be in place for a

further 18 months. A pioneering project in

Cambridgeshire is helping doctors to save more lives in emergencies. The

scheme means patients can be given specialist treatment at the scene of

an accident before they reach hospital. It's been so successful,

similar training is now being rolled out in other parts of the country.

And you can see what happened when David Whitely joined the doctors on

tonight's Inside Out. That's at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Onto sport, and Cambridge United are the latest team from Cambridgeshire

to book their place in a Wembley final. The U's will face Gosport

Borough in the FA trophy. It follows Peterborough's road to Wembley in

the final of the Johnstones Paint Trophy. Here's Jonathan Park.

Cambridge United? They will be on sale on Friday. Cup finals are few

and far between at Cambridge United so fans were keen to get orders in

for Wembley tickets. For the supporters, this is why you do it.

It is financially a little boost, but to me, it is about the players

and supporters. And this is what we strive for. It has been 45 years

since Cambridge United won a cup final. Saturday's semifinal win

means that they are 90 minutes away from updating the board. It means a

lot to the fans of Cambridge United. Obviously, 1969 was the last time we

won a cup. Cambridge will earn ?50,000 if they beat Gosforth aura

next month. `` Gosport Borough. Victory will create one problem

where to put the silverware. The club sold the trophy cabinet on

eBay. It might have been a joke but it went up to ?1.5 million. In the

end, Luton bolted for the youth academy for ?750. There is no no

trophy cabinet but there will be one in the next month to put the trophy

in. The month of March is all about Wembley. Joining the are

Peterborough. And it might be for more than once with play`offs a

strong possibility for blue and yellow hearts of Kim Butcher.

In rugby union, Northampton's incredible run continues with their

eleventh straight win. Saints beat Newcastle 22`16 in the Premiership

yesterday to remain top of the table. They scored three first half

tries including this spectacular effort from Tom Stephenson.

A competition to design a flag for Northamptonshire is down to its

final four designs as chosen by a panel of judges. A public vote for

the final winner has now begun. latest pictures from under the North

Sea, of Europe's longest chalk reef. Now it's time to go back to Stewart

who's on a World War One film set on the outskirts of Ipswich.

Welcome back to the Trench Farm film set in Suffolk. We're here to mark

100 years since the War. There is a periscope here. Water in a petrol

can... Corned beef! Bullets as well, for the rifles. It was very cold

down here. They would spend virtually the whole day here. But

there was a new kind of warfare. And a new word too. The Zeppelin. On a

foggy night in January 1915, people in Great Yarmouth were transfixed by

an eerie noise above. A terrifying, new style of attack was about to be

unleashed by aerial invaders. People would stupidly come out of their

houses and say 'look, it's the Zeppelin!' All of those people would

be standing in their doorways when they threw the bombs out of the side

of the gondola. Three bomb were released, doing little damage, but

then a fourth one exploded, killing two people ` Martha Taylor and

Samuel Smith. Gladys and Katherine were young girls at the time. ``

Kathleen. The window was coming in. My mother was thrown onto the couch.

Mr Smith was killed. Ms Taylor too. They were killed, yes. This plaque

marks the spot of the first aerial bombardment on Britain. They may not

have done much physical damage but the Zeppelins were very effective

weapons of terror. Local press called them aerial babykillers, sent

over by blood`mad fiends. At a high altitude, the Zeppelins were safely

out of range but British pilots soon had shells which could bring down

the giant airships. In Autumn 1916, L33 was shot down in Essex. The

German crew scrambled free and were soon made to surrender. This man saw

it all. They passed the gate. There was a Special Constable who met them

in the next village. He took them in hand. In St. Peter's Church in

Suffolk, another souvenir of another downed Zeppelin ` L48. This woman

helped maintain the memories of those who witnessed the event and

the 16 Germans who perished. It burnt up quickly. There was just the

skeleton left. People for miles around saw it burning. Lots of

souvenir hunters! I think they tried to keep a lot of that away. The

local militia sorted it out, to keep people away! In four long years, as

a weapon of war the Zeppelin had failed, but as a weapon of terror it

made a lasting, local impression. I told you this was a film set. It's

a big place! Earlier today, when the sun was up, I looked at the other

parts. As you can see, they've got everything here for the modern film

set, looking back at the First World War ` about 200 metres of trenches.

This is what it would have been like in the early years, with water in

the bottom. Some of the soldiers got something called 'trench foot',

caused by standing in damp water. They'd been here for about ten

years. This is one of the trenches. Where we are tonight... You can see

people getting ready. You will have seen these in shows like Downtown

Abbey and many other programmes. There's everything here but it shows

you what life was like for the soldiers working in the trenches day

in, day out. These trenches are the brainchild of

one man ` Taff Gillingham. An expert on World War One. You're an expert.

How long did they spend here? They were all ages. People who were too

old as well as young lads. It depended on where you were. In some

places, only for a day. In other areas... Maybe a week or ten days.

It depended on the situation. In the other trench it was wet! The

soldiers were suffering? Trench foot was a real problem. They were

waterlogged. There were problems with drainage. They found a way to

fight nature. They also, about trench foot, made it the officer's

problem! This is very much a built trench. Some felt dug, in contrast.

Yes. They were built in different ways. German ones were built for

permanence. To the Allies, it was temporary. Thank you for having us.

It's been fascinating! Away from the trenches we're going

to be looking at how life changed for ordinary people during the First

World War. Tonight we're going to set the scene. What did the East

look like 100 years ago? This report is from our chief reporter Kim

Riley. In the picture files he doesn't have a name ` billed as a

typical Norfolk labourer. The year is 1912. He was one of over 200,000

farm workers across the region. At the Gressenhall farm and workhouse,

they've turned back the clock to those tough times. Male life

expectancy was 52 and wages for farm workers were around ?50 a year. Work

was seasonal and employment was casual. For some it was a life of

grinding poverty and eventually the stigma of becoming an inmate at the

local workhouse. The years of childhood were brief. Going to

school had only been made compulsory in the 1880s. There could be up to

60 children in a class. This is a typical classroom of the time. It

was compulsory for children to go to school up to the age of 12, but

there were many ten`year`olds who actually had jobs. It was very

unusual for many children to go on to secondary school. Few homes had

electricity and many had no piped water or fixed bath. Even going

through the motions of doing the laundry... Lighting a fire to heat

the water, using a washing dolly to agitate the clothes... Putting them

through a mangle and pegging on the line... It's a world away from

today's wash and spin cycles. In 1911, the world was just beginning

to become really petrol`fuelled. It's true cars were becoming common

in London, but in eastern England the bicycle held sway. With 4% of

the population owning 90% of the wealth, only 7% of people paid

income tax. Protestors from this region joined the suffragettes `

militants burned down the Bath Hotel in Felixstowe in April 1914.

Professor Jane Chapman, research associate at Wolfson College in

Cambridge, says there was still a clearly defined class structure.

Domestic service was the main employment for women but so much was

about to change. The First World War has a tremendous legacy. It really

was a turning point. Legacies we don't think about... Not just women,

but the beginning of the modern world ` the 21st century as we know

and understand it now. `` 20th. Women played a vital role in the war

effort. Children, too. Here they are, lining up to help out on the

land. Patriotism, and a belief the war would soon be won, brought men

rushing to join our county regiments. But for many, the reality

was terrible losses amidst the horror of life in the trenches.

Major Dave Walker is a soldier with Seven Para RHA. He's served in both

Iraq and Afghanistan. Trench warfare ` it's traditional. How much

relevance is there now? You'd be surprised. An awful lot has changed

but the human experience... You could transplant a soldier from 1916

and it's not that different. Trenches are still used in training.

It's not something we've experienced in Afghanistan. But in 2003, in

Iraq, I was sat in a bunker. I saw Marines stood in trenches. I think

the effects are the same. Knowing the lifeline is there, with friends

at home is a good coping mechanism. The opposite side is that that can

bring anxieties of its own. Technology has improved, and

improved those links. Afghanistan has good infrastructure. My soldiers

still discovered the art of letter writing. The big difference is they

virtually knew the people they were fighting. You rarely get up close

and personal. Rarely. But you are in and among the people. The proximity

is there, in a different context. Thank you. And tomorrow on Look East

we'll be reporting on how the shoemaking industry of

Northamptonshire rallied to help. That's World War One At Home,

tomorrow night on Look East. And there are many more stories

online.And tomorrow on Look Time for the weather now. Over to

Julie, back in the studio. Temperatures have